Heating apparatus



April 6, 1943. E. B. Moss'E'rAL 2,316,098

I HEATING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1942 s sheets-sheet 1 a1 4 11 e294, I 4 17 23 10 25 .36 JIIHIIHII in April 6, 1943;

E. Moss ETAL 2,316,098

HEATING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1942' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A ril 6, 1943;

E. B. MOSS ETAL 2,316,098

HEATING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1942 I s Sheets-Sheet s radiator.

Patented Apr. 6, 1943 HEATING APPARATUS Eric Beecroft Moss and Victor James Samuel Russell, London, England, assignors to S. Smith -& Sons (Motor Accessories) Limited, London, England, a British company Application April 22, 1942, Serial No. 440,104 In Great Britain February 21, 1941 7 Claims.

This "invention relates to apparatus for heating an enclosed space, such as the interior of a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to such apparatus of the kind in which a stream of hot air and a stream of cold'air are mixed together and delivered to the space to be heated, and the degree of heating is controlled by a mixing valve for varying the proportion of hot to'cold air in the mixture. One object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of mixing valve and to simplify the construction of the apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided a heating apparatus of the kind referred to comprising a radial flow ran having an axial inlet at one end for the hot air, an axial inlet width of fan blade exposed to one inlet to the F axial width of fan blade exposed to the other inlet. 'The partition thus acts as a mixing'valve varying the ratio of flow of hot to cold air through the fan.

In a. preferred construction the fan is arranged to *draw the air through a radiator thereby supplying a stream of hot air to one of its inlets. This radiator may conveniently be in the form of an annulus and the fan may be driven by an electric motor arranged within the annular The "fan preferably serves to deliver a stream-of hot air to more than one supply conduit.

The following is a description of one specific construction of apparatus in accordance with the invention for heating the interior'of a motor vehicle, and its windscreen, refer'encebeing made t'othe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a section through the heating apparatus along the axis of rotation of the fan; -Figure 2 is a face view of the rotor of the Ian looking f'rom the left-of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a face view of the rotor of the fan looking from the right of Figure '1, and

Figure i shows the-volute chamber inthat part ofthe casing which delivers warm air to the "vehicle.

The heating apparatus comprises a fan having a two-part casing l0 and II in which is mounted a rotor having "two sets 'of radial blades l2 and l3. The casing part II carries an an nular radiator l4 and anel'ectric motor -I 5 housed within theradiator. The spindle lfi of the electric motor carries the aforesaid rotor. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the two sets of blades I2 and it are radially disposed on "opposite sides of an annular plate 1 and spokes l8 extend between the inner periphery of the plate and a boss l9 which is carried by the rotor spindle I6. As will be seen from Figure 1, the axial width of the blades I3 is smaller than the axial width of the blades I2, but their radial length is greater than that of the blades 12. The inner edges of both sets of blades terminate at the inner periphery of the annular plate; The two parts of the casing are clamped on opposite sides of an annular dividing wall 20. The two part casing provides vol ute chambers 2| .and 22 for the two sets of blades l2 and !3 respectively. .A conduit 23 extends tangentially into the larger part of the volute chamber 2i (see Figure 4) and leads to the interior of the vehicle.- A cold-air-inlet 24 is formed in the casing opposite the centre of the rotor and communicates with the end of an air-inlet conduit 25. A spindle 26 is arranged to extend axially through the air-inlet conduit in line with the axis of the rotor, and is provided with a twisted flattened portion 21 which engages a bore in a boss 28 of a disc-shaped partition 29. The diameter of the partition is such that it may be moved axially in the space within the inner edges of the blades I2 and is adapted at the limits of its movement either to obscure the air inlet 24 or the aforesaid gap between the spokes. This axial movement may be effected either by the rotation of the disc-shaped partition or by the rotation of the spindle 25. The latter arrangement is shown in the drawings and is effected by holding the partition against rotation by means of rods 30 fixed to the casing and passing through slots in the partition. It will be appreciated that according to the position of the partition along the axial length of the blades the proportions of hot air and cold air drawn in by the blades may be ad- J'usted. The radiator comprises a header 3| which communicates with a number of flattened liquid tubes 32 between which air passages 33 are formed and pass into the central space 35 in which the motor 15 is housed. The radiator is provided'with suitable inlet and outlet conduits connected with the cooling system of the vehicle engine, only the outlet conduit 36 being shown. The end of the space 35 remote from the rotor is closed-by a disc-shaped plate 31 constituting a frame-member of the radiator and having a soft bearing 38 for the end of the rotor spindle IS. The volute chamber 22 is also provided with a tangentially extending outlet conduit 39 by which hot air is delivered by the blades 13 to a de-frosting device on the windscreen of the vehicle.

The operation of the device will be obvious from the .foregoing descriptions when read in connection with the drawings. Air passing from the lefthand side of the device as seen in Figure 1 through the'air passage 33 of the radiator i4 is, under ordinary circumstances, divided when it reaches the chamber 22, part of the hot air being discharged through the outlet 39 to the defrosting device by means of the set of blades 13, and the remainder of the hot air passing through the central apertures of the plate I! into the mixing fan chamber 2!. The cold air coming throughv the inlet 24, 25 mingles with the heated air while passing through the set of blades I2, the proportion of cold and hot air being determined by the adjusted position of the partition 29. This mixture of the air from the two sources is discharged from the main outlet 23 to the interior of the vehicle.

It is possible by adjusting the partition 29 to its respective extreme positions, to exclude either the hot or the cold air from the chamber II and deliver either completely cold or completely heated air through the main outlet 23. In any event,-the air delivered through the outlet 39 to the Windscreen defroster will be all hot air.

It will further be understood that so far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, especially those which deal with the novel construction Otf the fan itself, the gaseous fluids admitted through the several inlets and mixed and discharged through the designated outlets, may be of any kind, hot, cold, filtered, moistened, or dried, and generically the heater l4 may be any type of air treating or conditioning unit.

We'claim:

I 1. An air heating and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having a set of blades open in the center to receive air axially from either of both ends of the fan, an axial inlet at one end, an annular heat exchange device disposed adjacent said inlet, offset axially from said fan, and adapted to heat air drawn through it by said fan, an electric motor supported within said annular device and operatively connected with said fan to drive the same, an axial inlet at the opposite end of said fan for unheated air, a mixing valve disposed centrally of said fan, means for adjusting said valve axially of said fan to vary the proportions of heated and unheated air flowing radially through said fan from. said inlets, and an outlet for said apparatus disposed radially outwardly of said fan.

2. A gaseous fluid mixing and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having two sets of rotary blades each set adapted to receive gaseous fluid centrally and dischargeit radially outwardly thereof, an axial inlet at one end of said fan for one kind of gaseous fluid communicating with the central parts of both rotary sets of blades, an axial inlet for another kind of gaseous fluid at the opposite end of the fan, a mixing valve associated with one or said sets of blades for varying the proportions of the two axial admitted fluids flowing through one o f said sets of blades, and two radial outlets for the apparatus, one for each of said sets of blades.

3. For use in a motor vehicle having a windscreen, an air heating and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having two sets of rotary blades .each set adapted to receive gaseous fluid centrally and discharge it radially outwardly thereof, a heating radiator disposed on one side of said fan, an axial inlet at the end of said fan adjacent said heating radiator and communicating with the central portions of both of said rotary sets of blades to supply heated air thereto from said radiator, an axial inlet for unheated air at the opposite end orf said fan, a mixing valve associated with one of said sets of blades for varying the proportion of the heated and unheated air flowing through said set of blades, a radial outlet associated with each of said sets of blades, the one of said outlets associated with the'set of blades which is adapted to propel the mixed air communicating with the interior of the vehicle, and the one associated with the set of blades to which only the heated air is supplied discharging adjacent the Windscreen to prevent frosting thereon.

4. VA gaseous fluid mixing and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having a casing and two sets of radial blades disposed therein side by side along the axis of rotation, an annular plate separating said blades, the central aperture of said annular plate providing axial means for communication between the central portions of said sets of blades, an axial inlet at one side of said annular plate for one kind of gaseous fluid, an axial inlet for another kind of gaseous fluid on the opposite side ofsaid annular plate, a partition adjustable axially between one of said inlets and the aperture in said plate, 7

means for adjusting said partition for varying the proportion of flow of said gaseous fluids through the set of blades on one side of said plate from said last named axial inlet and from said aperture, and radial outlets in said fan casing, one opposite each of the two sets of blades, all whereby one set of blades may deliver unmixed fluid of the one kind through its outlet and the other set may deliver predetermined proportional mixtures of said gases through the other outlet.

5. An air heating, mixing, and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having a casing and two sets or radial blades disposed therein side by side along the axis of rotation and being of difierent axial widths, an annular plate separating said blades, the central aperture of said annular plate providing axial means for communication between the central portions of said sets of blades, a heating radiator disposed on one side of said fan, an axial inlet at the same side of said annular plate as the narrow blades, adjacent said heating radiator, and come municating with the central portions of both of said rotary sets of blades to supply heated air from said radiator, an axial inlet for unheated air on the opposite side of said annular plate and communicating with the central portion of said wider set of blades, a partition adjustable axially between the unheated air inlet and the aperture in said plate, means for adjusting said partition for varying the proportion of flow of said heated and unheated air through the set of wider blades from the unheated air inlet and said aperture, and radial outlets in said fan casing, one opposite each of the two sets of blades, all whereby one set of blades may deliver unmixed heated air through its outlet/ and the other set may deliver predetermined proportional mixtures of the heated and unheated air through the other outlet.

6. A gaseous fluid mixing and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having a casing and two sets of radial blades disposed therein side by side along the axis of rotation, the radially inner and outer edges of said blades being free, an annular plate separating said sets of blades and being rigidly connected therewith along their adjacent side edges, the central aperture of said annular plate providing axial means for communication between the central portions of said sets of blades, an axial inlet at one side of said annular plate for one kind of gaseous fluid, an axial inlet for another kind of gaseous fluid on the opposite side of said annular plate, a partition adjustable axially between one of said inlets and the aperture in said plate, and within the central space inwardly of the inner free edges of one of said sets of blades, means for adjusting said partition for varying the proportion of flow of said gaseous fluids through the set of blades on said latter side of said plate from said last named axial inlet and from said aperture, and radial outlets in said fan casing, one opposite each of the two sets of blades, all whereby one set of blades may deliver unmixed fluid of the one kind through its outlet and the other set may deliver predetermined proportional mixtures of said gases through the other outlet.

7. An air heating, mixing, and distributing apparatus comprising a radial flow fan having a casing and two sets of radial blades disposed therein side by side along the axis of rotation and being of difierent axial widths, the radially inner and outer edges of said blades being free, an annular plate separating said sets of blades and being rigidly connected therewith along their adjacent side edges, the central aperture of said annular plate providing axial means for communication between the central portions of said sets of blades, a heating radiator disposed on one side of said fan, an axial inlet at the same side of said annular plate as the narrow blades, adjacent said heating radiator, and communicating with the central portions of both of said rotary sets of blades to supply heated air from said radiator, an axial inlet for unheated air on the opposite side of said annular plate and communicating with the central portion of said wider set of blades, a partition adjustable axially between the unheated air inlet and the aperture in said plate and within the central space inwardly of the inner free edges of said wider blades, means for adjusting said partition for varying the proportion of how of said heated and unheated air through the set of wider blades from the unheated air inlet and said aperture, and radial outlets in said fan casing, one opposite each of the two sets of blades, all whereby one set of blades may deliver unmixed heated air through its outlet and the other set may deliver predetermined proportional mixtures of the heated and unheated air through the other outlet.

ERIC BEECROFT MOSS. VICTOR JAMES SAMUEL RUSSELL. 

